Need help authorizing tool with root privileges

Question

So i've read apples docs on AuthorizationServices many times but they're examples leave a lot out (or maybe im just overlooking things) Can anyone provide a simple example of how to give an application root privileges, im trying to create a cleaning tool that removes caches etc.

Answer 1

You can't really "give an application root privileges". You can execute a tool with root privileges. I use the following:
#import "Authorization.h"
#import <Security/Authorization.h>
#import <Security/AuthorizationTags.h>
@implementation Authorization
// Constructor.
- (id) init
self = [super init];
if(self)
AuthorizationFlags flags = kAuthorizationFlagDefaults;
OSStatus status =
AuthorizationCreate(
0, kAuthorizationEmptyEnvironment, flags, & myAuthorizationRef);
if(status != errAuthorizationSuccess)
@throw
[NSException
exceptionWithName: @"AuthorizationCreateFailure"
reason: [NSString stringWithFormat: @"Error code: %d", status]
userInfo: nil];
return self;
// Destructor.
- (void) dealloc
if(myAuthorizationRef)
AuthorizationFree(myAuthorizationRef, kAuthorizationFlagDefaults);
[super dealloc];
// Execute a privileged task.
// Returns YES if the task executed successfully, NO otherwise.
- (BOOL) run: (NSString *) executable
withArguments: (NSArray *) arguments
output: (NSString **) output
AuthorizationItem items = { kAuthorizationRightExecute, 0, 0, 0 };
AuthorizationRights rights = { 1, & items };
AuthorizationFlags flags =
kAuthorizationFlagDefaults
| kAuthorizationFlagInteractionAllowed
| kAuthorizationFlagPreAuthorize
| kAuthorizationFlagExtendRights;
OSStatus status = AuthorizationCopyRights(
myAuthorizationRef, & rights, 0, flags, 0);
if(status != errAuthorizationSuccess)
@throw
[NSException
exceptionWithName: @"AuthorizationCopyRightsFailure"
reason: [NSString stringWithFormat: @"Error code: %d", status]
userInfo: nil];
char ** args = (char **)malloc([arguments count] + 1);
int index = 0;
for(NSString * argument in arguments)
args[index++] = (char *)[argument UTF8String];
args[index] = 0;
FILE * pipe = 0;
flags = kAuthorizationFlagDefaults;
status =
AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges(
myAuthorizationRef,
[executable UTF8String],
flags,
args,
& pipe);
free(args);
if(output)
NSMutableString * results = [NSMutableString new];
char buf[128];
while(true)
int bytesRead = read (fileno(pipe), buf, sizeof(buf) - 1);
if(bytesRead < 1)
break;
buf[bytesRead] = 0;
[results appendString: [NSString stringWithUTF8String: buf]];
[results autorelease];
*output = results;
return status == errAuthorizationSuccess;
// Execute a privileged task.
// Returns YES if the task executed successfully, NO otherwise.
+ (BOOL) execute: (NSString *) executable
withArguments: (NSArray *) arguments
output: (NSString **) output
Authorization * authorization = [Authorization new];
BOOL result =
[authorization run: executable withArguments: arguments output: output];
[authorization release];
return result;
@end